Guide · Network setup
How to control an ATEM switcher from your phone over Wi-Fi
Updated
Short answer
ATEM switchers have Ethernet but no Wi-Fi, so you wire the switcher to a router or access point and connect your phone or tablet to that network's Wi-Fi. With both on the same local network, a control app such as ProSwitcher, the Android control app for ATEM switchers, finds the switcher and controls it directly, with no computer in between.
Get it on Google Play Free for switching · Android phones and tablets · iPhone and iPad coming soon
The whole setup in one picture
Blackmagic's tech specs for the ATEM Mini Pro list Ethernet (10/100/1000 BaseT) for streaming, control and updates, and no Wi-Fi. So the wireless part is always between your phone and the router, never the switcher.
Optional: a computer running ATEM Software Control can plug into the same router at the same time. The switcher accepts several control connections at once.
Step by step
Wire the switcher to the router
Run an Ethernet cable from the ATEM's Ethernet port to a LAN port on your router or access point, not its internet (WAN) port. Keep the switcher wired: it has no Wi-Fi of its own.
Put the switcher on the router's network
The switcher's IP address has to be in the same range as the router's, which on most networks means the first three numbers match: 192.168.1.240 next to a router at 192.168.1.1. You can read and change the address in Blackmagic's ATEM Setup utility over USB, or find the switcher in your router's list of connected devices.
Join your phone to the same Wi-Fi
Use the network the switcher is on, not a guest network. If the phone keeps falling back to mobile data, turn mobile data off for the show.
Open ProSwitcher and connect
ProSwitcher scans the local network your phone is on and lists the switchers it finds. Tap one to connect, or type the address under Manual IP.
Let it remember the switcher
ProSwitcher saves the switcher and reconnects on its own after a dropout. The screen stays awake while you are live, and the controls lock with a reconnecting overlay while the link is down, so you cannot fire a cut that will not arrive.
Two ways to set up the network
A. Use the venue's own network
This works when you can plug the switcher into a LAN port and your phone can join the same Wi-Fi. Ask whoever runs the network whether its Wi-Fi isolates devices from each other: many guest and public networks do, and then no control app can see the switcher.
B. Bring your own router or access point
A small router just for the show gives you a network you control: its own network name, addresses you know, and nobody else's traffic. The ATEM plugs into it by Ethernet and your phones and tablets join its Wi-Fi. If the switcher also streams, the router's internet port can connect to the venue's network for the upload.
IP addresses in plain words
On most home and venue networks, devices on the same local network share the first three numbers of their address (a /24 network, subnet mask 255.255.255.0). A phone on 192.168.1.23 can reach a switcher on 192.168.1.240, but not one on 192.168.10.240.
Blackmagic's tech specs say a switcher's IP address is set with the ATEM Setup utility over a direct USB connection. Depending on the model and its settings, the switcher either takes an address from your router (DHCP) or keeps a fixed one; the original ATEM Mini's manual lists a fixed factory address of 192.168.10.240. Check yours in ATEM Setup.
ProSwitcher's discovery scans the /24 your phone is on. Manual IP also reaches a switcher on another subnet, if your network routes between the two.
Keep the connection solid during a show
- Keep the switcher wired. Only the control device should be wireless.
- Stay near the access point, on the same band as the rest of your control devices, and avoid mesh hand-off in the middle of a show.
- Give the production its own network name if you can, so nobody's phone backups share the air.
- Turn off battery optimisation for ProSwitcher so Android does not throttle its networking.
- Charge the phone: ProSwitcher keeps the screen awake while you are live.
When ProSwitcher can't connect
The app can't find my switcher
Your phone or tablet has to be on the same network as the switcher. Check that first: a phone on mobile data, or on a guest Wi-Fi network that isolates clients, cannot see it.
If the network is right and discovery still finds nothing, enter the switcher's IP address by hand under Manual IP. You can read the address off the switcher in ATEM Setup, or from your router's device list.
The address is right but it still won't connect
An ATEM accepts only a limited number of control connections at once, about five. When they are all taken, the connect screen says so plainly: the switcher is refusing new controllers. Close ATEM Software Control, a hardware panel or another phone that you are not using, and try again. If it says no switcher answered instead, check the address and that your device is on the same network as the switcher.
It keeps reconnecting during a show
Almost always Wi-Fi rather than the app. Keep the device on the same band and access point as the switcher, avoid mesh hand-off mid-show, and turn off battery optimisation for ProSwitcher so Android does not throttle its networking. The controls lock and show a reconnecting overlay while the link is down, deliberately, so you cannot fire a cut that will not arrive.
Other ways to control an ATEM from a phone
ProSwitcher is one option. Other Android apps on Google Play control ATEM switchers too; they are listed on Is there ATEM Software Control for Android? Bitfocus Companion can show web buttons in any phone's browser, but it needs a computer running Companion on the same network. On iPad and iPhone, apps such as MixEffect, TouchDirector and Strata Pro do this job; see ATEM control apps compared.
Questions
Does the ATEM Mini have Wi-Fi?
No. ATEM switchers connect to a network by Ethernet only. Wire the switcher to a router or access point, then join your phone or tablet to that network's Wi-Fi.
Can I use my phone as a remote control for an ATEM?
Yes. Wire the ATEM to a router or access point, join your phone to that network's Wi-Fi, and a control app such as ProSwitcher works as a wireless remote: tap a source to cut, drag the T-bar, fade to black. The switcher itself stays wired.
What IP address does an ATEM Mini use?
It depends on the model and its settings: the switcher either takes an address from your router (DHCP) or keeps a fixed one. The original ATEM Mini's manual lists a fixed factory address of 192.168.10.240. Blackmagic's ATEM Setup utility shows the address, and changes it, over USB.
Can I control the switcher over the internet?
ProSwitcher is designed for the local network the switcher is on. Reaching a switcher across the internet means putting your phone on that network through a VPN, which we do not test and do not recommend for a live show.
Do I need internet at the venue?
No. Control happens entirely on the local network. You need the internet only to install the app or buy Pro, and for streaming if your switcher streams.
Do I need a computer?
Not to run a show. ProSwitcher talks to the switcher directly over the network, so a phone or tablet on the switcher's network is all you need. Blackmagic's ATEM Setup utility on a Mac or Windows computer is still how you change the switcher's IP address, over USB.
Put ProSwitcher on your phone before the next show.
Free on Google Play for Android phones and tablets. Switching stays free; Pro is a one-time US$39.99, with a 14-day free trial.
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